Young mother suspected of drunk driving arrested following county accident

Written by Administrator

Wednesday, 05 December 2012 00:00

A young mother has been charged with endangering her two young children by allegedly driving while impaired after becoming involved in a property damage accident on Monday, November 26.
Katherine M. Pennington, 20, now faces two counts of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, both Class A misdemeanors, and two counts of neglect of a dependent, both Class D felonies, following the mishap that took place on State Road 256 East near its T intersection with Whitsitt Road. The accident happened just before 3 p.m. Deputies Shawn Mayer and Rodney Rudder and Chief Deputy Don Campbell went to the scene. According to information received from motorist Donna K. Ottersbach, 56, Lexington, she had just started her eastbound car from a stopped position on S.R. 256 after waiting for an uninvolved car to make a turn onto Whitsitt Road. As she began to move her 2009 Toyota Camry, it was hit from behind by a 2004 Buick Rendezvous operated by Pennington. When officers arrived, Pennington told them that she had been going too fast and hit the Toyota. As Deputy Mayer talked with Pennington, he said he observed Pennington talking with slurred speech and that her walk was slow and “staggered.” The woman reportedly failed several sobriety tests performed at the scene. She was placed in handcuffs and transported to the Scott County Security Center in Scottsburg. The two young children in her vehicle were placed in the custody of a relative, who came to the scene. No one was listed as injured from the accident. Property damage to the vehicles was estimated at up to $25,000. Pennington was also ticketed for three infractions, which included failure to sign her vehicle registration, no operator’s license in possession and operating a motor vehicle without financial responsibility. Pennington appeared before Superior Court Judge Marsha Owens-Howser on November 27, and her bond was set at $20,000 corporate surety or $2,000 cash. Her jury trial was scheduled for February 19. The young mother was released on bond on November 28 to await that trial.